Wiwənikan… the beauty we carry

Wíwənikan… the beauty we carry

Jennifer Neptune and Kathleen Mundell, with Barry Dana and Jeremy Frey, foreword by Teresa Secord

Hardcover, 8 x 10 in., 144 pp.

$35

Corresponding Exhibition: Wíwənikan… the beauty we carry

Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry is an exhibition of contemporary art of the First Nations people of what is now Maine and Maritime Canada. Collectively known as the Wabanaki, the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki, our people have lived in and paddled through our homeland for thousands of years. Wíwənikan is the Penobscot word for portage. Used when traveling by canoe, portages allow us to get around obstacles, to bypass water too dangerous to paddle, or to connect to a neighboring watershed. Once ashore, canoes are emptied and decisions are made—who is strong enough to carry the heaviest things, what will be left behind for others to pick up, what will we circle back for later. Basketmakers, canoe makers, carvers, painters, and beadworkers, the artists in this exhibition are the strong ones, carrying the beauty of their ancestors and culture into the future.

The richly illustrated exhibition catalogue features essays, interviews, and poems in both English and Wabanaki languages by Indigenous artists and leaders, situating contemporary works from in resonant historical and cultural contexts.